Jerusalem, July 3 – Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Health revealed on Wednesday that it has detected, during a monitoring operation, mosquitoes that were later found to be infected with the West Nile virus.
Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus were captured in Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Kiryat Ono, Petah Tikva, the Lev Hasharon Regional Council, Central District, as well as in Eilat and the Aylot Regional Council in the south of the country.
In accordance with the results of the monitoring, the ministries asked the public to protect themselves against mosquitoes by following the issued guidelines to help the national effort to reduce the mosquito hazard.
Oren Ashet Kathabi, Director of the Department of Zoonotic Diseases in the Public Health Division of the Ministry of Health, explained that West Nile Fever is a disease that originates from animals and is also transmitted to humans.
It is caused by a virus found mainly in poultry, and is transmitted to humans and animals through mosquitoes that feed on infected birds. In most cases, it is a mild flu-like illness that goes away on its own.
The disease is often characterised by fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis, and sometimes nausea and diarrhea. Rare complications are possible or meningitis, and rarely the disease ends in death.
To avoid mosquito bites and hazards, the Israeli ministry has recommended draining and drying stagnant water sources that may constitute habitats for mosquitoes.